


Love Like Winter

by swtalmnd



Series: Boundary Negotiations and Strange Treaties [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Communicating Like Actual Fucking Adults, First Time, M/M, Tony Stark's shameless tech fetish, Waffles, mild accidental dub-con involving the other personality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:29:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swtalmnd/pseuds/swtalmnd
Summary: Tony wasn't sure what he'd expected when he chased the bright spark of an idea down into his workshop in the middle of the night, but it certainly wasn't the warm slide of Bucky Barnes' arms around his waist from behind.The Winter Soldier wants Tony. Tony consents all over the place, and then eats Steve's waffles for breakfast.





	Love Like Winter

**Author's Note:**

> There are concerns brought up the next morning about how much agency the non-dominant personality in a situation has over sexual consent, which are worked out with adult conversation and an agreement to be more careful going forward. If this bothers you, go read my fluffy coffee shop AU or something, it's all good.
> 
> Thank you to Dr. QT for cheerreading, and the incomparable kate_the_reader for continuing to beta in a fandom she doesn't know.

Tony wasn't sure what he'd expected when he chased the bright spark of an idea down into his workshop in the middle of the night, but it certainly wasn't the warm slide of Bucky Barnes' arms around his waist from behind. Barnes buried his face in the crook of Tony's neck and breathed in, his metal hand coming to rest over Tony's heart while the other curled into the fabric of Tony's shirt. Tony went still, rebooting his brain from the future to the present, from the soothing logic of engineering and code to the messiness of human interaction.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" asked Tony, laying his right hand over Barnes' left in a gesture he hoped came off acceptably in this new, but not entirely unwelcome, level of intimacy they were apparently sharing.

The head on his shoulder shook back and forth, and another deep breath was unmistakably accompanied by nuzzling. The metal fingers spread a little and shifted, touch delicate as they tangled with Tony's affectionately. "This is better."

Tony forced himself to breathe, too, steadying his anxiety and telling his rabbiting heart to calm the fuck down. Bucky smelled good, warm and human with just a hint of metal and ozone, the perfect combination to make Tony more comfortable. "Whatever you need, Tastee Freeze. Uh, I mean. Is this what you need?"

Bucky snuggled up closer behind him. "Not sure. I like this."

Tony took in the short, clipped sentences and lack of social skills and swallowed, pulse ratcheting back up again as he realized he was not, in fact, being cuddled by Bucky Barnes. He was being cuddled by the Winter Soldier. And now he had to figure out how he felt about that, which was not a thing he was very good at doing on the fly. Equations, yes. Emotions, no.

"All right, Snowflake, this is good for now," said Tony, keeping his tone light and forcing himself to relax all over again, leaning just slightly into the Soldier's bulk. Not only would he have an extra second of warning if Winter was going to attack him, but it still felt really nice, Barnes or not. And, if he was honest with himself, this wasn't actually much weirder than being snuggled in his lab at 2am by Captain America's sidekick.

"You know," said Winter, sounding surprised and tightening his hold just a little, the way a child might hold a toy they suspect is about to be taken away.

"Yeah, Winter. I know." Tony turned his head, getting a nose full of slightly damp, clean hair. He pressed a soft kiss to the man's head, because apparently he wasn't interested in being the only sane person in the room. "It's still okay for you to like this."

They'd take to calling him Winter instead of Bucky, though in truth he'd never asked for a name and largely didn't refer to himself as anything at all. He was discrete personality, and one that was just starting to grow into an actual person instead of some kind of wind-up murder doll, so they all did what they could to encourage him as long as no one got hurt.

Tony was definitely not being hurt.

Winter sighed deeply and shifted, snuggling up closer, nuzzling again and pressing a kiss to the skin above Tony's collar. "It's strange, to want."

A small shiver went through Tony at that; he'd read the files, read some of what was done to create Winter, to turn him into obedience and efficiency and violence with no room for comfort, or pain, or desire of any kind. "It's safe here. We already went through 'no,' just fine, we'll get you through this."

Winter snorted. "Rogers did not enjoy 'no.'" His breath was warm against Tony's neck, and Tony was having to fight down an entirely different sort of wanting in order to keep the conversation light.

"It was good for both of you," replied Tony, giving Winter's hand a squeeze. "And I enjoyed it immensely, especially that one time with the eggs."

Winter chuckled, the sound rusty and a little painful. "I... enjoyed you enjoying it, I think." He squeezed again and rewarded Tony with another kiss, higher up this time. "I enjoy you."

Tony swallowed.

He licked his lips and thought for long moments about what he wanted, what he really wanted and whether the voice in his head yelling 'Tony no!' was Cap's or Pepper's or his own, and whether the voice yelling 'Tony yes!' was louder.

"What do you want, Winter?" asked Tony, once he was ready to hear the answer.

"You," said Winter softly. Another kiss, a soft scrape of teeth. "This."

"Just this?" asked Tony, forcing Winter to make a clear ask before giving any further consent of his own.

Winter swallowed and whispered softly in Tony's ear, voice rough. "I want you."

Tony closed his eyes and turned his face enough to present himself as available for kissing, should things go that way. "Do you mean friendship, romance, or sex?"

Winter blinked several times, and Tony could practically see him processing the idea that these were different things, that he could choose them in combination or even hope for all three. "Yes?"

Tony chuckled and delivered on the kiss when Winter paused, mouth hovering over Tony's. "Sure, but we can try for a triple crown. I'm pretty terrible at relationships, though, not gonna lie."

Winter actually laughed at that, burying his face back in Tony's shoulder. "Like I'm better."

Tony turned himself around and slid his arms up Winter's chest, wrapped them around Winter's neck and tugged him in for another slow kiss. "You understand how sex works, I trust?"

"I know," said Winter, eyes sliding away for a moment before meeting Tony's again. "I want you."

"DUM-E, blankets. JARVIS, blackout." Tony licked his lips and took a deep breath, giving Winter one more peck on the lips before he stepped away and threaded their fingers together, tugging him toward one corner of the lab. "All right, boundaries. I prefer to be fucked but at least the first time I think I should ride you. No bondage, no hitting, no blood, nothing that's gonna leave more than a love bite or some fingernail marks. Condoms generally, though sometimes I can be into the creampie thing if you wanna try it later. I do like to swallow, and you're cleaner than the driven snow, what with the serum and full battery of medical bullshit, anyway, as am I."

Winter nodded at each item, relaxing as Tony not only consented but provided him with clear mission parameters, assuming that the mission was 'fuck Tony Stark,' anyway.

"Boundaries accepted. I prefer to stay warm, be given clear requests, and told explicitly if I do something that makes you uncomfortable," said Winter. "Anything else?"

"Breath play no, tech toys yes," said Tony with a grin. He accepted blankets from the bot and made a nest of the couch cushions, a private space just for the two of them in a hidden spot, something as new as Winter. "I like to cuddle after, before, during, whenever. Kissing is awesome."

Winter cocked his head, fingers flexing. "Is my arm a tech toy?"

Tony grinned. "Now you're gettin' it, Chucky. Let's get naked and fuck."

Winter laughed again, delighted and gorgeous and nothing at all like Bucky's laugh despite having all the same components. "Mission accepted," he said, a dark look in his eyes. Eyes that never left Tony even as he stripped efficiently, clothing tossed onto the denuded couch.

Tony followed suit a little slower, hypnotized by the sight of Bucky's body, Winter's body. He'd seen the top half before, he'd serviced the arm enough times, but the whole package was sublime. Thick, strong thighs, smooth skin and hardly any hair, cock filling out while Tony watched, uncut and big enough to make Tony's mouth water. 

"They super-sized all of you, I guess," said Tony, after it kept growing for a few heartbeats past where Tony had expected from the initial showing.

Winter snorted. "You like it," he said, preening. "You like me."

"I like you, I like your body, I like your dick," said Tony, shedding the rest of his own clothing unselfconsciously. He wasn't hung like a porn star but he was happy with his lot, his body compact and wiry, strong from all the physical work he did in his shop and scarred from his misadventurous life. "I like the person you're becoming," added Tony, dragging his brains out of his balls for one more second before pulling Winter back in for a kiss. "I'm not sure I'd have said yes to the other you."

"I like that even better," said Winter, grinning into the kiss. "You're just mine."

Tony nodded. "For as long as this lasts, yeah. Just yours." He didn't cat around much anymore, anyway, not with the arc reactor, but Winter understood even better than Bucky what it was like to have something you depended on but didn't ask for implanted in your body.

Winter gently pushed Tony down into the blanket nest and lay over him, pressing their bodies together with careful control, not an ounce more weight than Tony could take. "Mine," growled Winter, kissing again, harder, fiercer.

"And you're mine," said Tony firmly. He could get used to a relationship like this, everything laid out like a blueprint and nothing left to guesswork. He wrapped himself around Winter's warm, solid body and relaxed into the kisses, hands exploring while he had the freedom to do so. Winter had few scars other than the obvious, his version of the serum apparently taking care of everything that wasn't catastrophic.

Tony wasn't optimistic enough to assume that Winter had never been hurt enough to leave a mark.

He put that thought aside and cupped Winter's face in his hands, stroking over the scratchy-soft stubble, thumbs tracing his cheekbones, brushing ever so lightly against the curls of his dark lashes. Winter's eyes were like his name, a blue-grey that Tony usually found chilling, but now warmed him like a shot of whiskey on a cold night. He let that languid heat seep into his limbs, relaxing under Winter's body and breathing in the scent of him all over again.

"It's not weird? Wanting to smell?" Winter ran his nose back to the space behind Tony's ear and inhaled again.

Tony shook his head. "Pheromones, scent cues, memory association; all kinds of reasons it's not weird. I like how you smell." He returned the nuzzling, pressing kisses now, feeling the texture of cheek and beard and hair against his lips and face, nibbling along the curl of his ear to see if that did good things for him. 

Winter let out a rumbling sound of pleasure and nipped at Tony's throat, the sound turning to a growl when that got a good reaction from Tony. His teeth were blunt and careful, but he made no effort to hide that he was marking his territory as he worked down the sensitive length of Tony's neck. His hands slid down Tony's arms and captured his wrists, pressed them into the blankets while his mouth continued on his path. "Mine," he murmured, licking at the hollow of of Tony's throat.

"Fuck, yeah," gasped Tony, in perfect agreement.

Winter rumbled again. "Your consent is pleasing," he said, meeting Tony's eyes.

"Believe me, I'm consenting all over the place here, Winter." Tony licked his lips and was rewarded with another kiss, with more of Winter's weight pressing where their cocks nestled between their hips. "I'm good for the slow burn, don't you worry about taking your time with me."

Winter chuckled wickedly. "You may regret that." Another kiss, this one soft and nearly sweet, and then he moved back down to explore the shapes of Tony's collarbones, to bite at the muscle in his shoulder, to kiss around the arc reactor, to taste the metal and skin and the border between. Tony let his legs fall open and arched his body into the touches, surrendering to Winter's explorations and giving tacit permission to keep doing what he was doing.

He'd never considered the arc reactor erotic before, but Winter was changing his mind pretty fast.

Winter's tongue and teeth on his nipples grounded Tony further in his body, brought his mind back from the places it had been spinning itself out towards, from ideas about body modification and cybernetics and bionics that he wanted to explore more but not just at that very moment. With the workshop on blackout, Tony felt free to be as loud as he wanted and he let his voice out, expressed every bit of pleasure with moans and gasps, groans and even words, "Do that again," and, "More," and even one, "Ow," when Winter prodded the reactor in the wrong way.

Winter was a very accommodating partner, for all that he was ostensibly the one on top.

Winter's curiosity seemed to fail him when he got down to Tony's cock, though. He lay his head on Tony's stomach and wrapped himself around Tony's body, a beautiful surrender. "Show me?"

"Everything," promised Tony, petting his long hair. "I'm surprised you kept this, but I also kind of love it."

"It wasn't my choice," said Winter, "but I don't mind." He pressed another kiss to Tony's stomach and then licked curiously at the mixed wetness, precome and sweat from both of them slicking Tony's skin. "Salty."

"Bodies generally are," agreed Tony. "On your back, now, butter bean. It's my turn to see what makes you tick."

Winter snorted at the pet name but didn't argue, moving up for a kiss and flipping them over in an impressive display of strength and agility. There were no wasted movements, just grace and motion and then stillness, Winter looking up at him with vulnerable eyes and a mouth red from kissing.

"You look so good under me, sugar pea," said Tony, leaning in, taking the kiss this time instead of giving it. He spread himself squarely over Winter's hips, wide and solid with that beautiful cock nestled right along the warmest parts of Tony. He had to take a deep breath to resist going straight to fucking, because that was the kind of dick he'd dream of later, but he also wanted this to be good enough that Winter came back to him for more. If he did right by Winter this time, then there'd be opportunities later for the quick, hot fucks he was already envisioning, up against walls and bent over workbenches and he jerked his brain back to the present. "So fucking good," he said again, leaning down for a kiss.

"You belong above me," said Winter, voice hoarse.

Tony got a surge of power from that and he smirked, sitting back. "Fuck, yeah, I do." He took Winter's hands and guided them up his own thighs and around to his ass, sighing as Winter got with the program and got a good grip. "Ever fingered someone's ass before?"

Winter huffed in surprise, started to shake his head, then shrugged. "Mine, I guess. Sort of."

"Bucky has, you mean," said Tony knowingly. "Well, if you understand the mechanics, then that's good enough to be going on with."

"Lube?" Winter's fingers were sneaking between Tony's cheeks now, exploring the heat of him.

DUM-E made a little beeping noise and dropped a clean towel full of lube and condoms next to them. "Thanks," said Tony, giving him an idle pat. "Go charge now, you don't need to help with this." The last thing they needed was to be extinguished by an overenthusiastic bot.

DUM-E beeped sadly but trundled off to his charging station, Winter's eyes following its movement away. "Have you had sex in here before?"

"Nope," said Tony cheerfully. "JARVIS probably told him what to bring."

"Indeed, sir. I am always looking out for your interests," JARVIS replied, dry as ever, "whether I want to look or not."

Tony chuckled. "Nothing you haven't seen before." He leaned down and kissed Winter again. "Now, where were we?"

Winter picked up the lube and condom, handing Tony the latter. He slicked his left hand up, fingers gleaming with lube and steel. "Yes?"

"Hell, yes," said Tony, feeling immensely pleased with his lot in life just now. He'd been having dirty thoughts about that hand from the moment he first saw it.

Tony took a moment to slip the condom onto Winter's beautiful cock first, stroking and petting it and stealing the lube to slick it up while Winter worked out the angles. He ended up pulling Tony forward for another hot kiss and sliding his metal hand over Tony's ass, smooth and cool but thankfully not cold. Tony was a little worried about pinching with the articulation, but Winter seemed confident enough that all he did was spread a little wider. "Start with one," he instructed.

A single digit circled around Tony's hole, and while the sensation of metal there wasn't exactly new, the way it moved like a finger certainly was. The vents in Winter's arm shifted and rippled and Tony's breath caught in want at the sight, at knowing this time it was because of him. Because Winter was getting ready to dip that blunt fingertip inside him, and Tony moaned when it did just that. The surface was already warming but it was still cooler than the inside of him as it probed carefully deeper.

"You really like it," said Winter, almost a whisper and full of wonder.

"Fuck, I really do," said Tony, mouthing along Winter's jaw when he couldn't quite find the oral dexterity for a proper kiss, hands gripped helplessly in the blankets. "Give me more."

Winter couldn't go very deep at that angle, even with the difference in their heights that Tony would never admit to out loud, so he mostly teased shallowly in and out, caressed the muscles in wicked circles that stretched them more directly than Tony was used to. Tony loosened up fast despite how long it'd been because he was more turned on than he had been in years. He arched and let out a little whine of need, wanting deeper, more, all of it now while he also wanted to go slow and enjoy what was sort of Winter's first fuck.

"Another?" asked Winter, finger slipped in to the first knuckle.

Tony nodded. "Y-yes, yeah, fuck, another and then your dick, because I am so fucking ready to ride you, cowboy."

The second finger was a bit of a stretch even after all of Winter's teasing, but Tony was expecting it and breathed through the moment, concentrating on opening himself up to it. The curl of Bucky's arm around his body kept distracting him, the temperature shifts as it warmed and cooled, the vents letting out small noises and puffs of air as they moved but never catching on his skin or hair. Tony let out the purr of satisfaction that was building in his chest, rubbing himself against the arm like a cat demanding petting.

Winter huffed and responded by shoving his fingers in a little deeper, using the other hand to grab Tony's hair and bring him up for a kiss. "Knew you'd be gorgeous," he said, brushing the words against Tony's lips.

Tony kissed him again. "Knew you'd be amazing," he countered, squeezing a little and gasping when he could feel the sharp pleasure of blunted corners where those fingers were inside him. They hadn't been made with this in mind and it showed, but that was all the better for Tony, who'd never met a bit of tech he didn't want to pervert, misuse, improve, and make his own. 

Winter responded by spreading his fingers, pressing them outward just enough to stretch Tony further, to draw a little moan from him that stole the last of his breath away. "I want to see next time," he said, pushing and tugging in gentle, implacable movements to open Tony's body for his pleasure. "Watch my fingers in you."

"Next time, 69," gasped Tony, trying to scrape together his scattered thoughts despite the mix of sensations trying to overwhelm him, metal with the dexterity of touch, pleasure with the slightest edge of pain. "Up close and personal."

Winter kissed him, deep and sure despite the theoretical newness of it all, an edge of smugness to his voice as he said, "Gonna wreck you."

"Gonna love it," said Tony, diving back into the kiss and getting a semblance of control back as his body relaxed that last little bit that he needed. "I'm ready."

"Yes." Winter's fingers slipped away, leaving him bereft, and Tony wasted no time sitting up and getting onto his knees. There was a moment of fumbling and then Winter got his cock held up so Tony could lower himself onto it, easing himself down inch by delicious inch.

"Fuck, yes, that is just what I've needed in my life," Tony babbled, mouth running off while his body and mind were busy getting his ass filled at a pace that was pure pleasure after the delightful roughness of Winter's wicked fingering. "God, it just keeps going, doesn't it? I'm gonna be spoiled for all other dicks after this, fuck."

"Good," growled Winter, hands on Tony's hips and body trembling just slightly. The tension ran out of him when Tony was fully seated, and his cock twitched in Tony's body in a very intriguing manner. "I like this."

Tony couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him. "Yeah, Lord Byron, I like this, too." He started moving, little rocks of his hips at first, just letting them both really feel to their toes how they fit together, every inch of Winter buried inside the heat of Tony's greedy ass. Tony was hot all over, sweat plastering his hair down and making his skin slick, but Winter was right there with him, glistening like an ad for Bowflex while he rocked his hips up to meet Tony's thrusts. His abs were a thing of real beauty like this, flexing in a rolling motion that felt as good as it looked. 

Tony stroked his hands down Winter's legs and let his eyes wander up, over the pecs and both shoulders, over the scarring and the strength and up to Winter's face. His pupils were blown wide, lust overtaking the ice almost completely, though he kept his gaze firmly fixed on Tony. His mouth was moving but very little sound came out, just puffs of breath and a hint of words not allowed to fully form.

"You with me, Winter?" he asked, voice hoarse and hips still moving of their own accord.

Winter nodded, swallowing and forcing himself to speak. "Best I've ever felt," he rasped. "Instincts telling me to stay silent."

Tony nodded. "You don't have to make noise, sugar puff. Just making sure I was parsing your expression right, checking in like a good lover and all that." He gave Winter's cock a squeeze and moved Winter's hand to Tony's cock. "I don't mind being fucked after I've come, a lot of guys object but I'm just that kind of a masochist, so get me off and then we'll get you off, yeah?"

"Not gonna be a problem," said Winter in a hoarse whisper. "Close."

"Good," said Tony, feeling his expression go dark and satisfied. He started riding again, harder now, leaning back to brace his hands on Winter's strong thighs and changing the angle to better satisfy himself. Winter took the hint and started thrusting up to meet him with equal force, the sounds of their bodies moving melding in with the normal workshop noises, with their breaths and the roar of Tony's heartbeat in his ears.

Tony had no idea how long it took and didn't hate himself enough to ask JARVIS; he just knew it wasn't impressively long before he gave in to the rising tide and let the pleasure sweep over and through him, leaving him washed clean and covered in salt. Winter groaned once, low and almost pained, and then both his hands got a bruising grip on Tony's hips and he pulsed inside Tony, buried as deep as he could go as he came. Tony felt a little aftershock run through him at the look on Winter's face, at the knowledge that he'd been the one to put it there, to make the Winter Soldier come.

"We are so doing this again," said Tony, leaning down to kiss him as soon as his eyes blinked back to Tony. "I like this so much, you have no fucking idea."

A smile broke over Winter's face, and his cleaner hand cupped Tony's cheek. "We're good together," he said softly.

Tony could only kiss him again in reply.

* * *

Another round up in Tony's bed and one in the shower had been enough that Tony didn't object when Winter left him at some ungodly hour for Bucky's usual run with Steve. Tony had JARVIS alert him when it was time for breakfast, instead, determined to join the team down in the communal kitchen in order to get a share of Cap's supposedly revelatory waffles.

Tony wasn't exactly awake, but he was awake enough to shuffle over to the coffee machine and down the espresso shots JARVIS had waiting for him. That got him awake enough to pour an actual cup of coffee from the carafe, and he wandered over to where Steve, Clint, and probably-Bucky were consuming a giant stack of waffles each, with a half-demolished platter between them.

"Are these for anyone?" asked Tony, snagging a plate for himself and edging hopefully toward the pile.

"Eat," said apparently-Winter, tugging Tony in to sit on his lap and get a warm, sweet kiss. It wasn't what Tony had been expecting at all, but he went with it. He made himself comfortable and let Winter feed him a bite of syrup-soaked waffle that would have made him a religious man if he hadn't already been converted after the third go with Winter in the shower.

"Wow, okay, these waffles are actually worth getting out of bed for, Stars'n'Stripes," said Tony, turning to see Cap's face going slowly from a pasty white to an angry sort of red.

"I take it that's Winter's lap you're sitting in?" asked Steve, his voice tight.

Tony smirked. "Yep. Slot Machine here found me in the workshop and we came to an understanding."

"Three understandings," said Winter, preening. "Tony is a very generous lover."

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

"Don't you think you should've maybe asked Bucky before using his body to," Clint asked, waving his hand at the two of them, "do the horizontal mambo?"

"Ooh, yeah, probably," began Tony, squirming uncomfortably. It hadn't really occurred to him last night, but in the light of day he realized that was one boundary they should've discussed well before the clothes came off.

"Why?" interrupted Winter, his voice holding a dangerous edge and hand tightening just a little where it held onto Tony. "He didn't consult me before letting Steve stick his dick in him. Me. Us."

"Jesus," said Tony. "Right, okay, so that's a thing I didn't really need to be picturing at the breakfast table."

Winter continued to glare.

Steve blanched again, then swallowed. "I guess I never thought. Fuck, I'm sorry, Winter."

Clint's eyes went wide. "I'm just gonna... yeah." He took his waffles and made himself scarce.

Tony turned and gave Winter a soft kiss, reassuring him before he turned back to Steve. "The four of us need to talk, as best we can manage, because I don't intend to dump Winter, and obviously you and Bucky are the romance through the ages cliche that Tumblr has always wanted you to be."

Steve nodded, looking glum and a little shellshocked. He turned those guilty blues on Winter. "Are you. Was it awful for you?"

Winter looked surprised at the question, then shrugged. "It's not awful. Tony's better. He likes me. You don't."

"I don't not..." Steve sighed. "I don't really know you, I guess."

"I'm not him. You don't like that," said Winter shortly. "Tony, eat." He presented another bite to Tony's lips, clearly closing the discussion for now.

"Can do, Chucky." Tony allowed himself to be fed, keeping an eye on Steve and watching as he dug into his food with that introspective anger that he'd almost entirely lost in the past few months. Tony let out a small, worried sigh and kissed Winter again, keeping it light and sweet in light of Bucky's lack of opportunity to consent yet.

"Wait, why Chucky?" asked Steve, after they'd all eaten in silence for long enough to digest the conversation.

Winter smirked. "Murder doll," he said, rubbing his nose along Tony's jaw. "I like that one."

Steve hid his face in his hands, looking pained.

Tony allowed himself to be fed in silence for a few more bites because syrupy goodness outranked Steve's existential crisis in Tony's life. At least in Tony's morning.

A subtle change came over Winter, and Tony made a careful note of every difference, suspecting that it was going to be far more important to him going forward than it had been in the past.

"Not that it's not very fine, Tony, but could you get your ass outta my lap?" asked Bucky. "I agree we've all gotta talk, but I think it needs ta be me an' Winter alone first."

"Can do, Buckaroo," said Tony, standing up and grabbing his own damn plate and some more waffles. "But you need to help Steve out, because he didn't really get what you two were doing to Winter, which is not entirely anyone's fault but it is what it is."

"I know that, it's why Winter let me have the reins," said Bucky. He sighed himself and slumped. "Winter wasn't, he didn't have the, the personality he does now, back when me an' Stevie started back. And he never objected, so it never occurred to me t'ask, which is shitty of me, but it's not Steve's fault."

Tony busied himself with fixing up his waffles while Bucky talked, rambling in that Brooklyn boy accent that did strange things to Tony's insides, nostalgia and daddy issues and teenage hormones in a weird mix that mostly made him uncomfortable. "So this was going on during his 'no' phase?"

Bucky chuckled. "Yeah, started before then, actually. But that's a good point, he coulda said no. He learned no real well, Stevie, and he never stopped us."

Steve sighed. "That's not really an excuse, but it's something, I guess." He made up another stack of waffles for himself, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I never let myself think about how much Winter knows about what Bucky gets up to."

Bucky blushed in a way that made Tony's eyebrows rise. "Uh, it's more than I really thought about before. I ain't kiddin' about Tony's fine ass, sorry."

Tony waved his hand. "It's not actually the first time I've been in a threesome and didn't know until later," he said with a shrug. "Steve's gonna need a little more, I think, but just knowing you could've been arguing with Winter over it is enough to assuage my guilt."

Steve barked out a laugh, but it sounded a little hysterical. "He didn't really seem..."

"He hasn't murdered you in your sleep," Tony pointed out, immediately stuffing his mouth full of waffles.

Bucky snorted his own laugh. "I don't think he really hated it, except for thinkin' Steve don't like him much. I didn't mind, Tony, you're right that I coulda fought it. I don't really have, uh, too many details, but I know you showed him a real good time and he's awful fond of ya."

Tony perked up and beamed at him. "Well, then, if you can make up some rules and boundaries we can all agree on, I'm game. Winter showed me a real good time, too, and I think he deserves to choose this for himself."

"I'm going to need to talk to Winter more, too," said Steve, looking hangdog and guilty. "If he's willing, I mean."

"Freaky double dates, maybe," said Tony, giving Cap's shoulder a squeeze. "Pizza and craft beer up in the penthouse so I can get to know Bucky and you can get to know Winter. That is, if you think you can stand that long in a room with me." He and Steve mostly got along these days, but there were still enough points of contention that Tony had never quite managed to figure out the shape of their friendship.

"Of course I can, Tony, I... Shit, I've just been the worst friend, haven't I?" said Steve, looking like someone had kicked his dead puppy now.

"You've been preoccupied with your undead bestie and his second personality that apparently likes me more," said Tony. "Not to mention with Barnes' very fine ass. I admit, if his dick wasn't the best thing ever, I'd be tempted by that ass."

"Tony, not now," said Bucky, but he was looking pleased as punch about the compliment. "Stevie, he's right, just the egg incident was enough to put ya off anyone but me for a week, not t'mention how busy Tony is most of the time. It's fine. We'll make time now that it's important."

"He's right, Old Glory. It wasn't as important before, but now that it is, we'll figure it out." Tony sighed and downed some more coffee. "Also, I want you to never stop letting me eat your waffles, so we have to stay friends."

Steve stared at Tony in disbelief, but there was a smile lurking around the corners of his mouth. "I'll keep making you waffles if you'll let me on in the secret of the coffee down in the shop," he said after a moment. "Why is it so good?"

Tony shot him a worried look. "Please tell me you didn't let DUM-E make you coffee."

Bucky cracked up laughing. "No, no, you taught us all better than that. Even Winter knows better than that. But when you make it, it's, I dunno. Quality."

Steve nodded enthusiastically, the guilty look in his eyes banked down to lightly haunted, which Tony could definitely live with for now. "Smooth and rich and high-octane."

"Oh, that," said Tony. "Come down once you three have worked things out a bit, and I'll make us all the good stuff. It's like Steve's waffles, I have to make it but I'll let you have some if you're good boys." Tony stood up, plate in one hand and cup in the other. "And on that note, I'm gonna go make myself some and get back to the idea I was working on when someone interrupted me with cuddles last night."

"You liked the cuddles," said Bucky, unrepentant. "You didn't even complain when you thought it was me."

Steve raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"He's not wrong, but to be fair, no one knew you two were exchanging bodily fluids until this morning," said Tony. "Anyway, I like cuddles. Feel free to cuddle again, anytime, either of you. Any of you. And that's my elevator, so I'm gonna leave now."

He always did have to make it weird.

**Author's Note:**

> I do intend to continue this as a series, but probably not until after NaNoWriMo, so, Decemberish... Patience will get you more porn and eventual 3.5some happy endings, though!


End file.
